WODE vs Softmod - my experience

I've had my Wii for a fairly short time, but I've had it soft-modded since day one. I reeeeally liked the idea of GC iso's off disc via WODE, since my GC is junk and many of my GC discs are scratched to heck - so I paid for a WODE a week ago. To set the tone of this thread in a few words - I wish I'd have never bought the WODE. It's not just the issues, it's that they promised each unit was tested, and that the issues I'm having suposedly did not exist (by the time I ordered it).

It actually works perfect - if all you use are Wii ISO's. ATM they still can't figure out why my WODE won't play *any* GC iso. Its kinda funny when you can say possitively it's not my images, since their on-board GC-based "GC Menu" has the same issue not loading (regionless code with "region mismatch" error). Then there's the addtional facts:

1) it's a faint shade of PINK (everyone has this problem atm)
2) it can't play many of the games that are problematic (yet fixed) for softmods
3) I had to mod the case to get the ribbon cable lined up properly
4) I had to enlarge the button's hole to get it to click downwards
5) the LED's required 4 layers of tint film to not be blinding from 10ft away
6) I have to sit there like a cage fighter waiting to brawl selecting my game
7) I can't play my on-hdd VC/WiiWare/Emulators w/o having to swap USB ports (meaning I have to play them via softmod & via non-WODE USB port)
8) Probably more since I almost can't use it...

I'm sure people not wanting to softmod their Wii will love it. However, after considering a few facts: 99% of "bricking" is reversable & nearly impossible with the current state of the guides & app updates, and both softmods and WODE will technically void your warranty - the WODE isnt practcal yet. There's absolutely no comparison once you consider the pricetag for both. Just so this post isn't 100% negative, I do have to say it's easy as pie to update. Slap it on and SD card (even transflash SDHC in an adapter!), and it's done in the time it takes to make a sandwich.

BTW I'm not intending this as a "I Hate WODE" post or "Don't Buy WODE", my intent is more to caution people before they buy something that they expect to be perfect. I'm sure in time most issues will be ironed out (easy to update the firmware; different case designs being tested), but atm it's not the best way to go. What you choose to do with it (agree, flame, or investigate further) is up to you....

Your personal experience is valid, you paid for something and want it to work. I have a WODE for a couple days, so, I'll comment on your thoughts with my personal experience:

1) Yeah, its kinda pink, not a big deal, lol.
2) I play all my games. I have a softmodded Wii that had MANY problems with usbloaders, I'll just point some:

- Random freezes (had to power down), this can be specially annoying.
- Artifacts and strange gameplay. The House of the Dead - Overkill for example, zombies were froze, I could just shoot'em in the head every time, once the problem manifest itself, never stoped, before that they would jump (warp?) step by step in freeze just before hitting me...Legend of Zelda was unplayable, every 3D object facing light would become multicolored and opaque.
- Did I mention random freezes?! THAT is REALLY annoying...

3) I installed it no problem, exactly as the video tutorials show.
4) Joystick worked OK, no problems at all.
5) LED lights on LCD ARE a pain... I simply cover them, I choose my games using the GC CFG on Auto load.
6) With the GC Menu, USBLoaders are now just a cosmetic keep (they're just more pretty than the GC menu).
7) Swapping USB is a pain, indeed, unless you have a 16GB SD Card in the Wii, so all your emulators, wiiware, vc can be played from there. As far as I know you need to install WADs anyway to play these (not emulators), and that is not only illegal, but kinda dangerous.
8) I formatted an USB stick NTFS and put all GC isos there, working perfectly (the GC menu too). My old 80GB 2.5 HDD (that I almost broke usign USBLoaders cause of the freezes) now works PERFECTLY with WODE, no artifacts, no strange gameplay, no freezes.

I have 12 years of computer and console experience, yet every darn cIOS used gave me the same issues reported above, every version of usbloaders, and with wany gone of the scene, I lost hope of it improving at all.

7) Swapping USB is a pain, indeed, unless you have a 16GB SD Card in the Wii, so all your emulators, wiiware, vc can be played from there. As far as I know you need to install WADs anyway to play these (not emulators), and that is not only illegal, but kinda dangerous.

WODE was a relief!

Triiforce allows you to essentially emulate your NAND. So combine that with pulling the vc/wiiware you've installed off your NAND via bootmii backup, it's the same as copying your own dvd's. The only wad I installed was the forwarder for Triiforce.

Anyways I'm glad you're happy with your WODE. I'm thinking about returning it, since it won't read any of my USB thumb drives. The same exact drives I can run with USB Loader GX and Triiforce...

Well if you pay for shipping, I'll trade you units... The only user error I can think up for GC games is no controller plugged in - I don't have a replacement yet.

I guess the biggest gripe here is they supposedly tested every unit, but various groups of people are having similar issues with this or that. One other person I know of has the same issue with GC iso's, only fixed by using Gecko OS. So atm I'm $120 poorer with a few wasted hours with no improvement.

Still, I purchased it under the assumption that in the 3 month delay they would have everything fixed. The "propoganda" I've seen showed all the problematic titles working, yet more than a handful have had issues.

I can't see it being a settings issue - I made a matrix to make sure I tried every conceivable mix of options. Not only do GC games not work as ISO's, they don't work on dvd-r via flat mode either. The wii menu says there was an error. I have a D3 drive and 4.1u system menu that likes dvd-r's and [theoreticly] out of region games, so it's definately wode-related when it says "region mismatch".

BTW ncrawler, I highly doubt all the other 9980 wode owners tried GC. There are however a bunch of people are having other issues with GC games just crashing/etc.

Ill have to give my opinion on this. A few days ago I read into the wode and really wanted to get one. I still really want to get one but after reading what some members are having trouble with it, I am not so sure if its really worth the price tag. Yes I could go and pay the cash to get it and everything works fine but on the other hand, I could have the same issues these members are having. For the amount that these unites cost, you would expect them to work. But then again I also know that you shouldnt go out and buy the first released units (of anything for that matter) as they are usually bugging and need to have those all worked out. Basically what I am saying is that I will wait awhile until I think about getting it. Also whats not to say that these are hurting the console internally and you just dont know it. Its like dvd-r's wearing out the laser over time. These "wode's" could be doing the same thing. Another thing I wanted to add is that I think most people just get this because it looks "cool" but really it really does nothing that great. A softmodded wii can do as much as a Wode machine.

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